Orange Is the New Black 1.05

The Chickening

Chapman sees a chicken in the yard. Word spreads about the chicken. Everyone is trying to catch it. They think there is something valuable about the chicken but there are a number of different stories about what makes it valuable.

Sophia tries cozying up to Sister Jane, the nun. She wants her estrogen. She doesn't get what she wants but Sister Jane doesn't hold a grudge against her.

The chapel to the ceiling collapses after a prisoner tries hanging a large cross from a pipe running along the ceiling.

The prisoner-guard romance that has been building since the first episode finally starts to pay dividends. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (in this episode) as Aleida, Dayanara's mother, who is also a prisoner, interferes by seducing Officer Bennet. It's pretty clear what happens but they have yet to show the fallout from Aleida's actions.

The backstory spotlight in this episode is on Aleida and Dayanara. They show both of them before either of them wind up in prison and also after Aleida gets locked up and Dayanara is still on the outside. The mother went to prison on drug charges. It seems likely based on what was shown that the same is true for the Dayanara.

Larry finds out that Alex is in prison with Piper. Piper lets it slip out when she is asking if he found out whether Alex is the one who gave her name to the police. He isn't happy but he asks his father, who is a lawyer, about it. His father is able to confirm that it was Alex who gave Piper's name to the police but warns him that it won't help Piper to know that. Later in the episode when he is talking to her on the phone he lies when she asks what he has found out. He says it wasn't Alex. Now Piper thinks she didn't treat Alex fairly.

More and more I think that Piper will cheat on Larry with Alex before the end of the season. It might only happen once. She might think it was a big mistake afterward but I think it is going to happen. I also think that Larry is going to cheat on Piper.

The scene with Larry and his parents was by far the funniest of the episode. He tries to tell them he was writing a magazine article about edging. Their reaction was priceless.

Not a perfect episode. I thought the chicken bits were a bit overdone but still a very enjoyable one.